Blog Posts by RachaelRaymag.com

With the flick of a slow cooker's switch, families gather round, parties come alive and every day feels richer. Plus you can go ahead and buy the cheapest cuts of meat: Shoulder, shank and ribs melt into a tender, rich meal under the long, low spell of a slow cooker's heat.

The tips:

• Brown your meat in a heavy skillet first. This will caramelize the meat's natural sugars for rich color and flavor. Once the ingredients are golden, add broth or wine to dissolve the flavorful brown bits left in the bottom of the pan. Add this to the slow cooker as the foundation for your sauce.
• Give your vegetables a fighting chance. Onions, carrots and potatoes can take the heat and duration of slow-cooking, but their tender green cousins are a more sensitive bunch. Keep the life and color in your peas, fresh beans and leafy greens by adding them during the last half hour of cooking.
• Make a good gravy. Slow-cooker recipes require little or no liquid. (the condensations from the

Read More »from Top Tips for the Best Slow-Cooker Dinners

We taste-tested dozens of frozen pizzas from the grocery store at Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine-these top-scoring pies really deliver.

BEST OVERALL: American Flatbread Cheese and Herb
"It's pizza in its purest form," one taster said, "simple and earthy." (americanflatbread.com for stores)
Read the full review »

BEST CHEESE: Wolfgang Puck All-Natural Margherita
This pie won raves over the "big, pretty" tomato slices and strong flavors of olive oil and herbs: "It tastes like fresh pesto."
Read the full review »

BEST PEPPERONI: Tombstone Pepperoni
Tasters called it "one generously topped" pie. The supermarket standby also scored big for its "thick and salty" slices.
Read the full review »

BEST VEGETABLE: DiGiorno Rising Crust Spinach, Mushroom & Garlic
"It's doughy on the inside and crisp on the outside," said one taster. And this well-decorated pie is smothered with "loads of spinach" and "fresh-tasting mushrooms."
Read the full review »

BEST SAUSAGE: Home Run Inn Deep Dish

Read More »from Big Bite Taste Test: Frozen Pizza

A few months ago, I was in the grocery store talking to the cashier and I mentioned that I'm always looking for new grocery savings tips for the Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine Supermarket 101 column. She immediately offered her two cents: "Limit the amount of fresh food you buy-especially produce since it only lasts about a week before getting moldy and slimy." It sounds obvious, but it's easier said than done! As I looked down into my own basket, I realized I had enough produce to feed a family of six for a week-and I was just shopping for myself and my fiance! Whoops...guess I don't need that pound of peaches or three bags of salad mix.

Well, I did a little research and found out that my cashier's friends and I aren't alone: the average family of four trashes roughly $590 worth of perishables each year! Though we all buy lots of fresh fruit and veggies with the best of intentions, dinner plans come along or that bag of spinach just doesn't look as appealing as the box of

Read More »from The Simplest Way to Save Money on Groceries?

When the family comes by on Sunday morning, try some deceptively easy recipes for the occasion. The menu: a bacon and cheese frittata, mango and avocado salad with candied pecans, sweet cream biscuits, a mimosa bar, the original Bloody Mary and good, strong coffee. The challenge: getting everything on the table before the clan arrives.

THE ORIGINAL BLOODY MARY recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces vodka
• 4 ounces tomato juice
• Lemon juice
• Cayenne pepper
• Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and black pepper
• Celery stick, for garnish

Directions:
In a highball glass, stir together the vodka and tomato juice. Stir in the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, salt and black pepper to taste. Add a few ice cubes and a celery stick.

See all the recipes:
Bacon and Cheese Frittata »
Mango and Avocado Salad with Spiced Candied Pecans »
Sweet Cream Biscuits »
The Original Bloody Mary »

The extras:
Photos: How to cut a mango »
Videos: How to style a buffet table »
Videos: Read More »from Easy Sunday Brunch Menu

We can't believe people are still using boxed mixes when this recipe for the Best Basic Brownies uses only 6 ingredients-most of which you likely have on hand.

But don't just take our word for it! Here's what our Every Day people have to say:


"These are the best homemade brownies I've ever had. Most turn out like dry cake, but not these. Every time I've made them they come out moist and delicious."-kinetic

"The ingredients are sooo easy to find and keep in stock."-mariamercado23

"These are great and fudgy!!!! I get compliments every time I make them. They're super-easy, and you can customize them by sprinkling all sorts of goodies on top."-ctan6697

"I was all over this recipe! The first take I followed it as written almost-did add that splash of vanilla. Baked up in an 8x8 for an extra 20 minutes, but my oven runs cool. Since the bowl was dirty, I mixed up another batch, adding chocolate chips and vanilla. This pan was 9x9, but the chips slowed down the baking and it still took an

Read More »from The Best Basic Brownies Recipe. Period.

What's at the heart of our Candy Sushi recipe? Same as the heart of the Great Licorice Debate: Twizzlers. Or Red Vines.I just stepped on a hotbed of controversy here in the office! We got some classic candies to snack on: M&Ms, gummy bears, jelly beans and, my personal favorite, Twizzlers. I asked whether they were Twizzlers or the less favored (by me) Red Vines. Turns out Red Vines have a fierce office following. (Every Day Jess had some especially strong feelings!) We were soon debating which sweet treat everyone would pick and, well, I was outnumbered. Vocally.

So what do you readers think? Is this a showdown as historic as the Lincoln-Douglas debate, or are we just some sugar-crazed folks? Must you even take side, or do some of you like them both?

I've logged many movie-theater hours alternating between buttery popcorn and bites of Twizzler-and that's not even getting into the glasses of Diet Coke I've sipped through a Twizzler straw-so I think plain nostalgia is a big part of my case here. Of course, I can't say I've ever drank pop through a Red Vine. Maybe I should make a candy run

Read More »from The Great Licorice Debate

When the weather recently changed, quickly, there was a lot of sneezing going around the office-and the subway, and the streets-and then ultimately, my house. I'm a huge believer in the power of chicken soup to get better, fast, and Rachael's recipe for Cure-a-Cold Spring Chicken Soup lived up to its name. Though I didn't have celery, scallions and the fresh herbs on hand, I swapped in extra onion, a few handfuls of washed, fresh spinach leaves, a pinch of dried herbs and a little more garlic. Oh, and I used thighs instead of breasts because I like the flavor better. Sniffles, gone!

By Diane Dragan, RachaelRaymag.com Executive Editor | Photography by Diane Dragan

More like this:

• Cooking for the Every Day Family blog »
• Chicken Soup recipes »
• Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals »

Read More »from Cure-a-Cold Chicken Soup

Fun in the suburbs, fun in the cityFinding yourself bored by brunch-time? No matter where you live, these fun get-together ideas will give you that weekend feeling all the way up to Monday morning.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE CITY

• Don't have a garden to tend on a leisurely weekend? Flex your green thumb inside with a new window box or houseplant. Try an easy-to-grow philodendron or an air-purifying (and pretty!) peace lily.
Then, throw a Green Get-Together »

• The nearest park may not be within walking distance, but a field day with friends will make it worth the trip. Take the dog for a stroll down the walking trail or brush up on your bocce ball game. At the very least, dust off that Frisbee. (We know you've got one somewhere.)
First, learn how to play bocce »

• Since you probably won't score a matinee discount in the city (like your suburbanite counterparts), save bucks your own way and host an afternoon home screening. Use the money you didn't spend on tickets to buy snacks.
Or, host a Prime-Time TV Dinner Party »

IF

Read More »from Instant Weekend Get-Togethers